Many have heard of Queen Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great. These women are known all over the world. But what about the first and only woman emperor of China?

Wu Zhao, also known as Empress Wu Zeitan, was born in 624. She lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) which is considered one of China’s golden ages of history. She was born to lumber merchant Wu Shihou and Lady Yang, the former of whom was close with Tang Dynasty founder Li Yuan. Their friendship led to Li selecting Yang as Wu Shihou’s second wife.

Not much is known about Wu’s childhood. She came to the palace around 636 as Emperor Taizong’s concubine and by fourteen, she was ranked fifth concubine. She was required to do tasks expected of a maid such as laundry.

She caught the eye of the Emperor because she was beautiful, well-read, and spirited. Emperor Taizong would eventually employ her as his personal secretary and during her ten years in the role, she gained experience working with official documents. She also learned skills for conducting state affairs: these would prove useful later in her life.

In 649, Emperor Taizong died. As was tradition when emperors died, his concubines, including Wu, entered a temple and became a Buddhist nun.

While at the temple, Wu met Emperor Gaozong. He was Emperor Taizong’s son and successor. The emperor and Wu spent time together where he eventually invited her to be his zhaoyi (second ranked concubine).  

Wu was not satisfied being zhaoyi, but she won favor for the emperor by giving birth to four boys and one girl. She pleased Empress Wang and servants by gaining trust with her friendliness and generosity. 

Wu’s infant daughter died. As Empress Wang was the last one to hold the child, she was blamed for the murder, and some people claimed that Wu killed her own daughter to get rid of her rival.

Gazong dismissed Wang and made Wu Empress. Wu put Wang to death and exiled her relatives and supporters. 

Once Empress, Wu helped assist Gazong with managing state affairs. When he suffered a crippling stroke in 660, Wu became the virtual leader of the empire for the next twenty-three years. 

After Gazong’s death in 683, Wu kept her power by being a dowager empress before finally proclaiming herself the “Holy and Divine Emperor” in 690. As emperor she was successful for many reasons.

She updated the policy of recruiting officials, with more emphasis placed on candidates’ education levels and talents. This allowed for more candidates than from the few aristocratic clans. She wrote a two volume book Rules for Officials that was made into part of the exam.

Wu expanded Tang’s territories and had a dominant cultural influence over the region, and was able to do this through military force and diplomacy.

She also encouraged great economic development by focusing on agriculture and reducing taxes, offering a tax-free year to everyone in the dynasty and this allowed improved lives for the peasants. They were still able to obtain taxes during that time by tracking opportunities through the silk road.

Furthermore, she was a patron of Buddhism, helping to spread and consolidate the religion. Temples were erected and they helped priests explain texts. Her patronage led to numerous Buddhist texts being translated, edited and published. 

Due to being able to read at a young age, she promoted literature and art. During her reign, she formed a group called “Scholars of the Northern Gate.” They promoted literary pursuits, and wu’s interest led to a creative culture. 

She was also deeply supportive of women’s rights; she had scholars write and edit biographies about exceptional women, and allowed mourning to be equal for both deceased mothers and fathers. 

However, even though she was powerful and did good things for the Tang Dynasty, many did not like her leadership. Some saw her use of violence to be unacceptable and she was not seen as a moral leader. The same complaints were not made of other emperors.

She had been in power for more than fifty years at the time of her death in 705 at the age of eighty-one.

Upon her request, her gravestone was left unmarked as she expected others to evaluate her achievements. Her tomb is difficult to get to and has never been opened by archaeologists.

Photo Credits:

1. 1690 Dash, Mike (10 August 2012). The Demonization of Empress Wu. Smithsonian
2. https://dingyue.ws.126.net/2023/0312/85a77287j00rrdl65002uc000hs00m0g.jpg. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/%E6%AD%A6%E6%9B%8C%E5%83%8F.jpg
3. From the British Library archive. https://imagesonline.bl.uk/asset/3335/
4. https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_6236329. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E5%94%90%E5%90%8E%E8%A1%8C%E5%BE%9E%E5%9C%96_(%E5%B1%80%E9%83%A8)_-_%E6%AD%A6%E5%89%87%E5%A4%A9.png
5. https://www.thoughtco.com/life-of-wu-zetian-688051, https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/aqoKuIgT0zK-7TzkXRZBY7NAChk=/750×0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/GettyImages-986828171-f443d3fedf6042b788b33258c84735f6.jpgC
6. Ian Kiu – Tang Dynasty 700 AD from “The T’ang Dynasty, 618-906 A.D.-Boundaries of 700 A.D.” Albert Herrmann (1935). History and Commercial Atlas of China. Harvard University Press., CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4641484
7. 国家公园网(GJGY.com), CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2277137

References: 

• Custer, Charles. “The Life of Wu Zetian.” ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/life-of-wu-zetian-688051.
• Dash, Mike. “The Demonization of Empress Wu.” 10 Aug. 2012, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-demonization-of-empress-wu-20743091/.
• English. “NDTV.” NDTV.com, 23 Jan. 2024, web.archive.org/web/20240318105516/www.ndtv.com/world-news/all-about-chinas-empress-wu-worlds-richest-woman-ever-4917760. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
• FitzGerald, Charles Patrick. “Wuhou | Biography & Facts.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Wuhou.
• Lee, Yuen Ting. “Wu Zhao: Ruler of Tang Dynasty China.” Association for Asian Studies, 2015, www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/wu-zhao-ruler-of-tang-dynasty-china/.
• “Wu Zetian.” En.chinaculture.org, en.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003-09/24/content_22879.htm.